Examining Best Practices in the Communication Studies: Models at The Three State Universities in Indonesia (1)
The development of studies on the history of tertiary institutions with the field of communication science in Indonesia has various features. Unpad, UIN, and even UGM have their own history and features. Not all of them come under a faculty called communication science.
Prof. Engkus Kuswarno, Professor of Communication Studies from Padjadjaran University said that the features are increasingly diverse if you look at Communication Science study programs at other campuses. “According to the Dikti’s data, as of April 1, 2021, there are now 344 communication science study programs in Indonesia. There are two communication management study programs. Then there are 21 Islamic Broadcasting Communication Study Programs under the Ministry of Religion (Ministry of Religion),” said Engkus in the Workshop on the Development of the Department Roadmap of Communication Study Program of UII on Friday (2/4/2021).
Engkus, who had been Vice Rector Unpad, adding that now is not known to the nomenclature of ‘majors’, “If you see in Law No. 12 of 2012, there were no term departments and faculties. The latest is a study program.”
He, referring to the policy, the education program is carried out by the study program, not the department. “Then the accreditation is the study program, not the department,” he added.
This workshop invited several figures who became role models of the Communication Study Program in Indonesia. They were Prof. Engkus Kuswarno from the Faculty of Communication Sciences / Faculty of Science. Unpad Communications Major, Prof. Iswandi Syahputra from UIN Communication Major Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, and I Gusti Ngurah from UGM Communications Major.
This workshop is an effort of the UII Department of Communications to update a department roadmap. Puji Hariyanti, Chair of the Department of Communications of UII, said that this workshop was held to share each other lesson learned, renew the roadmap for this department, some of which have been surpassed, and some have not reachable will be a guide for the Department of Communications of UII to make it better.
Questions arose after the presentation of speakers from three well-known universities in Indonesia. For example Masduki, one of the UII Department of Communications Lecturers, Specialist in the Media Policy and Journalism Research Cluster. Masduki asked, from the many discussions and historical backgrounds of this Department of Communication, especially Unpad, “how was the history to have its own faculty? How did these three campuses build their schools of thought in their respective campuses?”
Prof. Engkus said that Unpad Communication major had never turned into a faculty of its own. “From the beginning it was a publicistic faculty. Then in 1987 there was a change in regulations from Higher Education. All departments of public relations, information, etc. in Unpad had to become a communication major,” he explained.
“It used to be called a department. Previously it was majoring in information, PR, publicist. Then asked to change to a study program. Then we fought for the majors to appear again with new study programs submitted in 2013,” he added. Engkus added that since changing its status to PTNBH (Legal Entity of Public University) Unpad, there is no need for a Dikti (Ministry that govern university) permit. “Even though our PTNBH is only in 2014, after the permit to make a new study program was issued in 2013,” said Engkus.
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